Preoccupation
by Surelyyoujest
Summary: Lily is afraid that her proccupation with James is causing someone to become withdrawn. Oneshot Please R&R!


Preoccupation

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters who belong to the talented JK Rowling, just my own idea for the story.

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Lily Evans was a bright witch who had earned quite a bit of respect from working hard and applying herself in her studies. But that did not mean she never got bored while applying herself to this said work. In fact, on this particular day, while studying in the library, boredom was exactly what had taken a hold of her.

She sat alone at a small table in a dusty corner because she thought she would be able to concentrate better with less people around. A few piles of books were stacked neatly around her, telling her that they were still neat because she had failed to open one as of yet and begin. But the work that had been assigned just could not keep her attention this afternoon.

_And admit it Lily_, she thought to herself, _boredom is not the only thing plaguing you right now._ A frown crept across her face as she stared out the large window next to her, observing the late afternoon sunshine and watching the dust float from the rays shining through. Absently she curled a lock of hair around her finger, pondering this idea. _Yes, boredom is not the only problem here_, Lily admitted as she sighed and rested her chin on her hands.

Ever since Lily had agreed to go out with James two weeks ago, the two of them, plus many of their friends, couldn't have been happier that they were finally together. But there was one person who was slightly withdrawn now, and Lily was afraid that it was entirely her fault. She shifted positions in her chair and drummed her nails slowly on the table as she thought of Sirius Black, James's closest friend.

_Now what could be bothering him_? Lily questioned herself silently as she bit her lip. _I know that he is nothing but happy for James, so its got to be about me. I wonder if he still holds a grudge against me for yelling at him and the boys all the times in the past years? But no, he's too friendly towards me to be harboring a grudge like that. Unless it's all for James's sake_, a nasty voice whispered in her head.

Lily sighed heavily again, still thinking on this but couldn't get much further that that because the two boys who were on her mind had just strolled into the library. Lily noticed a few of the girls' heads swivel toward the pair and covered a small laugh with a cough. This caught the attention of James, who instantly brightened when he saw her and nudged Sirius to start walking with him.

When they reached the small table James leaned down and gently kissed Lily, who smiled against his lips a bit and kissed him back. As James sat down Lily looked up at Sirius and smiled saying, "Hey Sirius, how are you this lovely Sunday afternoon?"

He returned the smile and replied, "Great, just bored to tears with my homework." He then turned to James with a smirk and said, "I'd watch it there lover boy, otherwise our lovely yet uptight librarian may just boot you out."

James chuckled as he sat down and proceeded to pull Lily off her chair and into his lap. "I think she'll get over it. Plus she can't even see us over here."

Sirius's smile slowly disappeared from his face as he looked at the couple in front of him. Lily noticed this and the frown crept back on her face. "Well, I think I'll just give you two some alone time, if you know what I mean," he said with a knowing wink that ended up looked slightly strained.

However, James retorted, laughing good-naturedly, "As good as that sounds, mate, I do have a lot of work to catch up on, along with Head stuff. So you might as well join the fun." He gestured meaningfully at his slightly bulging book bag.

Sirius patted James's back sympathetically but replied, "Thanks, but then again no. I'll let you have fun with that. Remus wanted to discuss something with me. Something about a "furry little problem"." So with a goodbye and what Lily thought was a staged smile, Sirius left them alone in the dusty little corner.

Lily's thoughts were racing as a sudden thought dawned upon her. _Why, he feels left out!_ Then another, worse thought came to her. _Oh, he probably feels like I'm trying to take his place!_ Lily sucked in a quick breath at the thought and at once felt terribly guilty.

"Lily? Are you okay, hon?" questioned James with a hint of concern at hearing her quick intake of breath. He gently turned her sideways on his lap so he could see her face. "Lil?"

"Hmm? Oh, James, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was so out of it," Lily answered quietly, shaking her head a bit and worrying about her realization. She snapped her attention back to her duties. "We should probably get started on this mountain of work."

James nodded and before she slid off of his lap she gave him a quick peck on the lips, only to be pulled back by him for a more satisfying kiss. "Mmmm," he murmured against her lips as they broke apart. "I'm still trying to get used to how great it is to be able to do that whenever I want."

Lily nodded her head in agreement, indulging herself in one more long kiss before plopping down in her own seat once more. "So to start much less interesting stuff, why don't we begin with the Charms homework and end with our Head duties?" And with that said, they worked steadily in silent partnership, but with a part of Lily's mind wondering how in the world she was going to confront Sirius.

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Lily decided later on that the sooner she did it, the better, so as soon as she had put away all of her things in her dormitory, and said goodbye to James who was on patrol duty, she walked over to Sirius. He sat alone in a chair facing the fireplace in the commonroom which was fairly empty. Lily noticed, somewhat sadly, that he was just staring into the fire, the light flickering onto his face, with none of the usual charm and happiness that was almost always there. _And you're part of the reason why Lily, so you better go fix it._

Slowly Lily approached him, trying to work out in her head how to start. As she got closer to his chair, he spotted her and offered a small smile that made her feel even worse, although that was not his intention. "Hello, Sirius. Um, do you think it would be alright if I talked to you about something?" Lily stumbled out as she watched a puzzled expression cross his face.

"Sure Lily," he replied, gesturing at the chair across from him. "Is something the matter?"

"Actually, yes," she breathed out, forcing herself to just come out with it. "But I need you to be honest with me, please." Sirius looked at her a moment, more confused then ever, then slowly nodded his head.

"Yes, of course. What can I help you with?" he said, leaning forward in his chair. Lily hesitated a moment, then just blurted it out.

"Sirius, do you feel like I'm taking your best friend away from you?" Shock clearly crossed his face as he leaned back in his chair and stared at her with his mouth slightly open.

"Wait, _what_?" he asked incredulously as he shook his head and wondered if he heard her right.

"Well, you see," Lily began hurriedly as she took a deep breath and started her explanation, "I've noticed lately that you've been kind of withdrawn and it seems like you aren't happy about something so I was wondering about it today in the library and when you left James and I alone I thought that maybe you were starting to resent me a bit because I've been taking up a lot of his time and-"

"Lily!" yelled Sirius to stop her rant with a laugh in his voice, "you must be one of the best people I know."

Lily, who had stopped talking and twisting her fingers together the minute he had yelled her name, looked up at him with a very confused look on her face. Sirius laughed cheerfully, more like his old self than he had been all week.

"Lily, I'm really glad that the two of you finally got together, you're both great people and deserve each other. And as for what you just said, you are in no way whatsoever coming between James and I. Yes, we spend a little less time together, but I don't resent you for it at all! In fact, there is a reason on my part too why we've spent a little less time hanging out."

"I'm so sorry Sirius, it's just that I know you guys have such a good friendship and I didn't want to be the cause of any hard feelings-"

"Lils, you're not, believe me. Plus, I plan on becoming good friends with you too; I've rarely seen James this happy." He smiled at her and relief flooded through her that everything was alright. Then something he said earlier penetrated.

"Sirius, if you don't mind me prying a bit, is everything okay?" she asked uncertainly.

"You mean, why am I withdrawn? And don't worry, you're not prying." He let out a long breath and began again. "I guess you could say I'm having girl troubles."

Lily stared at him unbelievingly. "_What_?" It was her turn to be shocked.

Sirius laughed out loud at her reaction. "Well, thank you Lily, that was certainly a boost to the ego." Lily looked confused at this. "You see, I'm used to just dating girls for the fun of it, not very serious relationships like you and James have just started. But a few weeks ago I found someone who, for once, I can't get out of my head, however cheesy that sounds. The problem is, she won't take me seriously because of the examples she's seen with my other relationships. So," he concluded with a sigh, "I don't exactly know what to do. I'm stuck."

Lily who had listened to his whole story in silence, leaped up from her chair and pulled up Sirius into a hug. "Oh Sirius, I wish you would have said something! I would have been willing to help you out!" Sirius laughed at her girlish behavior and hugged her back with thanks.

"Hmm, what do we have here?" a new voice broke in with a hint of a laugh in it. "My best mate and my girlfriend in an embrace. Are you trying to tell me something?"

Sirius laughed out loud at that and answered, "However tempting, no. I've just been telling Lily here about my girl trouble and she offered to help. So now I have both of you helping me."

"Ah yes, the tiny spot of trouble with your lovely Anna. Any suggestions Lily?" She stepped out of Sirius's hug and into the arms that James was holding out for her.

"Well, you still have to fill me in on the little details, but none at the moment. Give me a little time, though."

"I appreciate it Lil. You too, James. Thanks mate." Sirius stepped up to James and grabbed his shoulder in thanks. "I think I'll just head off to bed now and do some thinking of my own." And with that he disappeared into the boys' dormitory.

"Well, this had been an interesting day," Lily commented as she and James walked over to the couch and sat down. When James put his arm around her and pulled her so she sat with her back against his chest, she leaned against him and laid her head back on his shoulder giving him perfect access to the creamy skin on her neck he couldn't resist.

"I'm sure it has," James said between light kisses to her neck. "You might want to fill me in later though, I seem to be a bit preoccupied at the moment. Especially since we only got to do homework together," he managed as his lipstraveled up to behind her ear. Lily sighed happily in response and turned around to face him.

This stopped his roaming so that she was able to kiss him fully on the mouth, deepening it degree by degree as they laid back more comfortably on the couch. "How would you like to stay occupied a few minutes longer before we have to go to bed?" Lily suggested with a shy smile.

James grabbed her face after brushing her hair back behind her ears and answered with a smile of his own. "Do you even have to ask?" She didn't ask again, but answered with another kiss that kept them both happy even when they had to say goodnight.

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A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read this! I'm not really sure about this one so please give any opinions or suggestions and I'd appreciate it


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